United States Grants for Green Inventions

Green Inventions: Concept to Product

• Prior to applying for a grant to fund his project, an inventor who has a viable prototype can take his product from concept to limited production by patenting the invention. The Green Technology Pilot Program was formed in 2009 to accelerate patent applications. By May of 2011, more than 1,600 patents were accelerated. The normal rate for the patent process tends to progress slowly, often taking several years. Pushing green patents forward helps inventors secure funding at a faster rate.

The Green Future

• Sustainable living is more than a buzzword: it's a window into the future. A green inventor with an innovative concept has access to potential funding for producing earth-friendly products. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) awards funding to both competitive grants and unsolicited grant proposals. EERE allocates $2.2 million dollars annually in one and two-year allocations for seed money to fund clean energy projects.

Resources for Green Inventors

• The U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Technology administers the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. Eleven federal departments participate in the SBIR program; five departments participate in the STTR program. Funds totaling $2 billion dollars are awarded annually to small high-tech businesses. With these two programs, the SBA ensures that the nation's innovative green inventors are a significant part of the federal government's research and development efforts.

Encouraging Green Ideas

• Reducing our carbon footprint throughout day-to-day activities is on the minds of many consumers. However, a Press Release by the Earth Institute at Columbia University states that Americans are still widely uneducated about how to save energy. Clean energy inventions that are made freely available to the general public aid in our nation's ability to become sustainably independent. New green inventions that support renewable energy sources are important now, and to future generations.